I Remember Who All This Was For
by KiddyCartoonFangirl
Summary: After an Akuma attack, Gabriel is reminded of what really matters. [Not a Happy Ending]


Inspired by the song _From Now On_ from The Greatest Showman.

* * *

The bitter sting of winter had settled over Paris. No one could be caught outside without extra layers or warm accessories to keep their hands and necks and noses and ears from freezing over with the icy vapor from their own breath. Every whisper of air emitted from a person's mouth or nose was visible in the air for a moment, before the puff crystalized and vanished.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The storm of magical cleansing ladybugs made their rounds across the city, restoring all the destruction made by the Akuma. Though the chill in the air remained, warmth spread through the veins of all those who had been touched by one of the Akuma's dreadful attacks, dissipating the sluggish icy numbness that had overtaken their bodies.

"Pound it!"

A small girl huddled in the snow layering the park, shivering in confusion, fear, and cold. Curled up around herself, she squeezed her eyes shut and wished for darkness until a soothing hand touched her shoulder. She blinked her eyes open, looking up into bluebell eyes surrounded by a red mask covered in black polka dots. Warm arms surrounded her, causing a wave of feeling to flood through her.

"W-Was I a... an ak-kuma?" she stuttered out, chattering teeth and terror combining to hinder her voice. She could feel herself choking on a sob as she spoke. "I-I'm so sor-sorry. It's just, I'm s-so c-cold, and se-seeing th-the warmth in-inside of... i-inside made me s-so sad..."

"Shh..." came the sweet and gentle voice of the young lady hovering over her. A gloved hand stroked through her frosty dark brown hair, pushing it away from her face. They had stopped somewhere- somewhere outside but definitely no longer in the park, no longer in the snow. "Everything will be okay. Here." A heavy blanket was draped around the little girl's shoulders, and a steaming mug of hot cocoa was eased into her hands. After a minute sitting and sipping, the girl felt much more relaxed and comfortable.

"Thank you, Ladybug," she said shyly, tilting her head so that her face was eclipsed by a curtain of her long hair.

Ladybug nodded, gentle eyes watching the younger girl carefully. "Tell me about yourself," she said warmly.

"Well, my name is Missy," she began, twirling a piece of her own hair between her fingers absentmindedly. "I had a mommy and a daddy but no brothers or sisters. And I had a dog." Her face fell as she said this. "Except he got lost. And I found him again, outside of a shop, except he had spent too much time in the snow, and he got sick because he was too cold and..."

Ladybug rubbed her back soothingly, humming quietly in acknowledgment.

After a sniffle, she continued, "So I was walking down the street with my mommy and daddy, and we passed the shop, and I could tell it was warm inside, and if only Peter had gone inside the shop, then he wouldn't have gotten cold and sick... And then I ran away somewhere else, and I felt how miserable it is to be cold, and how miserable Peter must have been, and..."

"You know, it is no fun to be trapped in the cold for too long," Ladybug mused, wrapping an arm around the girl.

"What if... what if I tried helping other people who are cold?" Missy asked thoughtfully. "Then no one will feel so miserable."

"That's the spirit!" Ladybug smiled broadly. "I'm very proud of you thinking so grown up. But now, we need to get you home. Let's go find your parents."

After a slight amount of hassle, Missy was finally united with her parents, who exuberantly thanked Ladybug for her assistance, and the spotted heroine smiled and finally went on her way, not without being blown a kiss from her feline partner.

* * *

"Foiled again!" The low growl reverberated through the space inhabited by the white butterflies, stirring them from their spots. As they flitted about, a flash of light lit up the room.

"Once again, those juvenile 'superheroes' have defeated me! Cat Noir's bad luck must be rubbing off on me because _nothing_ that I have tried works!" Gabriel Agreste paced about the room, constantly riling up his butterflies as he stormed about. He came to a stop facing the skylight. "I need more power, Nooroo! I must have absolute power!"

"Master," Nooroo began tentatively. "Are you sure that more power is going to help you?"

"It's the one thing I need!" Gabriel shouted, whirling on the purple kwami. "It's the one thing I've been trying to attain all these years! If I could just have their miraculous and their power, then everything would be complete! I've already built my empire, all I need is the greatest power of all."

Nooroo frowned before a thought came to his mind. "Master, don't you remember that you're doing all of this for-"

"I've had _enough_ of your talk, Nooroo! Leave me _alone_!"

The kwami hesitated for just a split second before zipping away into some dark corner of the room.

Gabriel turned back toward the window, fists clenched and breathing heavily. The fading sunlight was filtering through the slightest crack and sliver of exposed glass. Moved by a sudden inexplicable passion, he opened the window before he had time to think about what he was doing.

The sun was setting, filling the winter sky with streaks of color. A strong wind whistled into the room, causing a chill to settle deep in his bones as the butterflies swirled around him. Even deeper, he felt a cold hand grip his heart as he suddenly fell to his knees.

_I saw the sun begin to dim  
And felt that winter wind  
Blow cold._

He thought of his "empire", as he had called it. Admired and esteemed as a fashion master all over the world, upon a pedestal before the whole world. Shining, glorious, power and influence wrapped around him like robes. He thought of the miraculous, strung together and masterfully crafted to form his crown, the pinnacle of his absolute power. He thought of the possibility of failure- losing everything he had ever accomplished in his life. If he fell to the ground from the top rung of the ladder. Everything around him seemed to be decaying, falling apart before his very eyes. Everyone surrounding him seemed to fade away into the distance as he desperately tried to grasp onto them, crying out, Don't leave me! Don't forsake me! Don't you love me? Are you not loyal to me?  
What cause was there for anyone to stay with him? He had purposely made himself cold, distant, in order to achieve his goal.

_A man learns who is there for him  
When the glitter fades and the walls won't hold.  
'Cause from that rubble what remains  
__Can only be what's true._

Perturbed and troubled by these sudden thoughts, he snapped back to his feet and swiftly returned toward his office, not looking back at the open window behind him, the frigid air having no effect on his body.

However, instead of arriving at his office as he expected, his feet led him elsewhere, and he ended up in a dark room with a straight pathway running down the middle.

"Emilie."

Her vivid green eyes stared back at him lifelessly.

In a flood of emotion, he dropped to his knees in a rare display of weakness, still staring at the representation of his wife.

_If all was lost  
There's more I gained  
'Cause it led me back  
To you._

How could he have forgotten?

The love of his life- SHE was the one that he was doing all this for. Years of increasing power had taken over his mind, manipulating him to seek after more power, more power! His glittering dreams of having absolute power- not for her, but for himself!

How could he?

His voice was reverent as he knelt before her, eyes shut and swollen with tears.

"Emilie."

His voice shook with unspoken grief.

"I promise you that from now on, I _will_ not lose focus. I promise that you and only you will be my goal."

_From now on  
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights.  
From now on  
What's waited 'til tomorrow starts tonight.  
Let this promise in me start  
Like an anthem in my heart:  
From now on,  
From now on..._

* * *

Gabriel watched the news report with disinterest. André was yet again making another empty speech about himself and his daughter.

However, he heard his own name being mentioned.

"Gabriel Agreste is a genius of a man! Even my wife is praising his latest fashion line, which is saying something!"

Gabriel's heart sank.

This was the thing that he would have done anything to hear, only until now. Was this how far he had fallen? Seeking the praises of someone as pitifully low as André Bourgeois and his petty wife? Throughout the years, he had met some of the most famous and wealthy figures on the planet. He recalled attending the royal wedding in England, all the illustrious people that he was with there. He thought of the countless people who all had made him their idol.

Yet all that meant nothing.

Looking up at the tapestry of his wife, none of that mattered.

_I drank champagne with kings and queens;  
The politicians praised my name.  
But those were someone else's dreams,  
The pitfalls of the man I became.  
For years and years  
I chased their cheers,  
A crazy speed of always needing more.  
But when I stop  
And see you here  
I remember who all this was for._

"I promise I will not be fooled by the empty promises of power any longer."

_And from now on  
These eyes will not be blinded by the lights._

"I promise that I will do everything in my power to get you back."

_From now on  
What's waited 'til tomorrow starts tonight._

He touched his hand to her gently with determination upon his face.

_Let this promise in me start  
Like an anthem in my heart:  
From now on,  
From now on,  
From now on!_

* * *

The air was still cold up in his lair, and the wind was still blowing. Yet with a grin, he spoke.

"Nooroo, Dark Wings, rise!"

_And we will come back home,_  
_And we will come back home,_  
_Home again!_

The transformation was a familiar feeling. Yet this time it was not the feeling of power that exhilarated him, but his visions of what he would do once he obtained absolute power.

_And we will come back home,_  
_And we will come back home,_  
_Home again!_

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize them!"

_And we will come back home,_  
_And we will come back home,_  
_Home again!_

"All I need in exchange is Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculous."

_From now on,  
From now on,  
Home again!_

"I will have absolute power!"

_From now on,  
From now on,  
Home again..._

"I will bring you back, my love, my life.

"This is for you, Emilie."

* * *

{END}


End file.
